Friday #FlushFact: Super Flush at M&T Bank Stadium 1998

March 20, 2014

Did you know on Wednesday July 15, 1998 over 600 Ravens fans gathered in M&T Bank Stadium to perform a synchronized flush of the toilets to test if the bathrooms could withstand the halftime rush? According to an article written in 1998, the Ravens invited VIP’s to participate and hired an emcee to preside over the choreographed flush forever known as the Super Flush! The event was so popular, radio stations gave away spots to flush on the air, and people flew in from around the country to participate!

The reason behind the test stemmed from the disaster of opening day at Camden Yards in 1992. “After the first inning, a restroom rush caused the values on dozens of toilets to burst and douse some unlucky fans,’ said Sherman Kerbel, the Maryland Stadium Authority’s Director of Facilities.”

Luckily everything went as planned for the Super Flush! One participant complained that they could only flush the toilets, not use them.. But can you blame the Stadium Authority? What would have happened if there was a repeat of Camden Yards with all of those VIP’s there?

Another fun #FlushFact is that there are 1074 toilets and urinals in M&T Bank Stadium. An article in the Baltimore Sun explains, “The stadium has a water capacity of more than 30,000 gallons in three hot water tanks and 38 miles of pipe which must be kept to a uniform pressure of 100 to 114 pounds per square inch by booster pumps. During a typical halftime, which is what [the Super Flush simulated] more than 100,000 gallons of water will be pumped in and discharges through underground pipes.”

This was true back in 1998 but a lot has happened since then. M&T Bank stadium achieved it’s LEED Gold Designation in November of 2013. By replacing 400 of the original urinals with waterless urinals, the stadium was able to save 43% in water use reduction. The stadium saves over 3 million gallons of water per year with waterless urinals and water-efficient restroom fixtures throughout the building. (They also have a green cleaning program but that is another Blog post!)

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